Therapeutic head covering

ABSTRACT

A head covering garment designed for medical use comprising a single piece of flexible, insulating material sewn together to form a generally bag shaped article of clothing which is worn about the head of a medical patient functioning to prevent latent heat from escaping the patient&#39;s head area covered by the garment. The garment is easy to place about the head of the patient, is comfortable to wear, stays securely about the head, and can be packaged for sale in a generally flat condition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application, Ser. No. 61/271,066,filed Jul. 17, 2009 by the present inventor.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This application relates to items produced which are used to cover and thereby insulate the human head.

2. Prior Art

There exist numerous types of medical conditions, the treatment of which includes preserving or raising the internal temperature of the patient's body, for example the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy includes maintaining patient warmth and monitoring skin and body temperature in treatment of patients suffering from shock. One method of preserving or raising a patient's body temperature involves covering areas of the patient's body where heat may be lost as a result of contact with ambient room temperatures that are substantially below a patient's typical internal body temperature of approximately 98.6 degrees. Covering a portion of the patient's body has been shown to protect the covered portion of the body from exposure to the ambient room temperatures which are typically controlled to maintain an average room temperature of 68-72 degrees, which most people and institutions consider to be a comfortable indoor temperature for patients and employees.

Although patients are typically provided with or wrapped in blankets which may be used to cover a portion of the patient's body to insulate the patient from the ambient room or outdoor temperature, there exists no product/invention which can effectively insulate/protect the patient's head against ambient temperatures lower than the patient's internal body temperature while allowing the patient to comfortably sit upright.

It is an object of the invention to provide a wearable hat, cap or other article of headwear that can be utilized by a patient/medical provider to cover the head of the patient, thereby insulating that portion of the body from the ambient temperature in order to preserve or raise the patient's internal body temperature. This is accomplished by preventing the loss of heat that would otherwise occur when the patient's head area is exposed to ambient temperatures that are significantly lower than the patient's internal temperature.

There exist many body warming devices designed to insulate portions of the body from low ambient temperatures or used to raise the internal body temperature of a patient or person. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,957 (Gulick) discloses a one piece, snug fitting, sleeveless garment covering the torso of a person succeptible to cold and chills. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,785,716 (Bayron, et al.) and 5,891,187 (Winthrop, et al.) disclose two versions of a temperature control pad, shaped to the outline of a human body, such pad being capable of being thermally controlled, where a patient would lay upon the pad in order to expose the surface of the body to higher or lower temperatures existing on the pad's surface. U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,414 (Haas, et al.) discloses a system for providing thermal application to external body areas of a patient by means of a thermal applicator, the preferred embodiment of which is a “pipe” with two ends having surfaces capable of creating heat or cold and such pipe being applied to various parts of the human body. U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,955 (Ein) discloses a thermal apparatus that includes a wrap to be secured about the body of a user which includes a temperature sensor and a thermoelectric device operated by a control unit that would allow the wrap to be heated or cooled, thus affecting the body temperature of the user. U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,579 (Schock, et al.) discloses an invention which comprises an enclosure for receiving a portion of a patient's body whereby heat transfer liquid is circulated through the enclosure containing a portion of the patient's body in order to create direct contact between the body part and the liquid, thus warming or cooling the body part depending on the temperature of the heat transfer liquid.

None of the present devices are wearable items that can be used to insulate a patient's head area from ambient temperatures that are significantly lower than the patient's internal body temperature. Many of the prior inventions provide methods for raising the internal body temperature of a patient, but function by applying an outside source of heat to the patient's body. None of them are designed to insulate the head area from colder ambient temperatures, and all of the inventions require a source of electricity to function therefore their use in the field is limited. Also, none of the prior inventions aimed at applying heat to the patient's body are wearable items that can be comfortably fitted to the patient's head while allowing the patient to use, remove, and re-apply the wearable item themselves, or allow for removal and application by the patient's care giver in cases where the patient is unable to make decisions regarding the use of the article. Further, the pads and various body temperature raisers are very cumbersome, expensive to manufacture, and are not easily applied to the head area where much of the body's heat is lost.

There exist many inventions that may be termed “head coverings” or “headwear” which function to protect the head of the wearer from impact related injuries (or other dangers or annoyances). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,042 (Krzewinski-Morris) discloses an invention for a head covering which may be used to protect the hair of the wearer during a wide range of everyday activities but is especially suited for use to keep the wearer's hair from becoming dislodged and interfering with medical procedures for personnel in the medical and surgical fields. U.S. Pat. No. 6,738,986 (Martin) discloses a head covering for use when participating in aquatic activities made from a quick drying and stretchable fabric. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,867,833 and 6,263,512, both to LeDonne, disclose a pliable garment to be worn about the head, but describe a garment which is merely a band of fabric rather than a complete head covering that would function to insulate the head as the garment leaves large portions of the head uncovered.

There also exist many inventions that may be termed “hats” which function to cover the head of a wearer. For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,109,548 and 5,309,574, both to Balaban, et al. disclose an invention for a weather adaptable ski-hat designed for sporting outdoor use that is comprised of multiple layers of fabric and a drawstring closure at the top. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,214,804, 6,272,690, and 7,188,374 all to Carey, 5,822,800 (Anderson), and 7,152,252 (Gilles, et al.), disclose inventions that combine a head and/or face protecting member with a neck protecting scarf member that serve to cover the head or face and neck of the wearer by use of a single garment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,115 (Denbow, et al.) discloses an adjustable head and neck garment for use in inclement weather which is comprised of a tube shaped garment pulled over the head and neck with a hole cut out to allow the wearer's face to be exposed. All of these inventions are substantially more complex to manufacture than the present invention and are too cumbersome to be practical for a semi-ambulatory or non-ambulatory patient to use. Further, the present inventions require the wearer to cover both their head and neck, which may be uncomfortable for patients seated in various stages of uprightness and difficult to administer to a patient lying prone.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,685,017 and 5,933,871, both to Kraft, disclose an invention that is comprised of a headband member to which various implements may be easily attached. Among the implements are a visor, ear muffs, and a sunglasses mount. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,875,493 and 6,260,206,both to MacDonald, et al. disclose a modular head covering system that includes a temperature regulation module, an insect-excluding module, and a rain cover module, where the temperature regulation module consists of a headband to which other components, such as a visor, side flaps, and a scarf-like headcover may be attached. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,996,852 (Cabrera) and 7,380,286 (Bryant, Sr.) disclose a head covering comprised of a baseball type cap with a drape or hood attached around the perimeter to protect the ears and neck without obstructing the wearer's vision. These inventions are essentially headbands to which various items may be attached to arrive at a head covering that would provide for some measure of insulation of the head from cold, but they are all more complex and less durable than the present invention and require a certain measure of understanding from the user to assemble the various available implements correctly to achieve an effective insulating head cover. Because the present invention is a one-piece design that will be economical to manufacture and simple to use, it will be more effective in a clinical setting where it may be easily and quickly applied by medical technicians and will remain securely in place while patient is being transported or having a procedure done. U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,376 to Carrington and U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,375 to Harrington disclose multi-layer protective head coverings aimed at protecting the wearer's head by virtue of their shock absorbing and insulating properties but these inventions are more akin to a helmet in that their shock absorbing properties require the use of considerable padding and mass as well as the use of a chin strap to keep the hat in place in the event of an impact. Therefore, the present head coverings prove to be overly cumbersome in a clinical setting when there is little chance of head impact with other objects that would be likely to cause injury or trauma. All of the present inventions that offer some measure of insulation from cold ambient temperatures are either too cumbersome, expensive to manufacture, or are designed for use in particular sporting activities done by fully ambulatory participants, and not designed for use in a clinical setting for a therapeutic effect. There exists no current invention that functions to insulate the head of the wearer from low ambient temperatures for therapeutic use in a clinical setting.

SUMMARY

It is the object of the invention to provide an insulating head covering which is economical to manufacture, simple and comfortable to use, able to fit heads of all sizes and shapes, which protects the head of the wearer from low ambient temperatures which have the tendency to lower the internal body temperature of a patient who is not otherwise protected. There are a myriad of medical conditions, the treatment of which includes preserving or raising the internal body temperature of the patient, and the invention could be used to protect the head area of any patient whose course of treatment would include the preservation or raising of internal body temperature by preventing heat loss that would otherwise occur if the patient's head area was exposed to the ambient temperature.

DRAWINGS Figures

FIG.1 is a perspective view of a piece of fabric which has been cut in a pattern suitable for creating the article of clothing of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an aerial view showing the method of arranging the piece of fabric shown in FIG. 1 in the way required to correctly align the piece of fabric to be sewn into an article of clothing.

FIG. 3 is a further aerial view showing the correct method of abutting certain portions of the piece of fabric to one another.

FIG. 4 is a further aerial view of the finished article of clothing showing the article of clothing after the correct portions have been abutted and sewn together.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the finished article of clothing of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 depicts the general shape of the pattern according to which fabric should be cut in order to create the article of clothing of the instant invention. Side A must be wrapped clockwise (as shown by arrows) while Side B must be wrapped counter-clockwise (as shown by arrows) in order to orient portions of the pattern correctly such that the article of clothing can be sewn together.

FIG. 2 depicts an aerial view of the pattern shown in FIG. 1 which shows the correct orientation of Sides A and B, Sides C and D, Sides D1 and E1, and Sides E and F as the piece of fabric must be aligned.

FIG. 3 shows a further aerial view of the pattern, showing (with arrows) the Sides of the pattern being butted to one another in order for those portions of the pattern to be sewn to one another along two main seams.

FIG. 4 shows a further aerial view of the article of clothing with the correct Sides of the pattern butted together in the correct orientation. In order to complete the article, one must sew along the seams depicted from the lowest portion of the seam (between Sides D1 and E1, and then between Sides A and B) upwards until reaching a point between Points a and b. A second seam is created by sewing horizontally from the leftmost portion of the seam created between Sides C and D across to the rightmost point created between Sides E and F. A third seam is then created by sewing along the seam created by butting Sides A and B from the point in between Points a and b upwards until reaching the edge of the fabric.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the finished article of clothing. The seams created by butting Sides A and B is clearly visible and extends from the top of the article of clothing downwards to the bottom edge of the article of clothing. The seam created by butting Sides E and F is also visible. In the final step, the bottom edge of the fabric is folded inward and sewn to the inside surface of the article of clothing. The finished article is a wearable article of clothing designed to be worn about the head by pulling the article over the head in the method commonly used when wearing a hat or cap.

The article of clothing is shaped so as to fit closely about the head of the wearer, serving to prevent the loss of heat from the user's head area which is covered by the article. The cut and shape of the article is such that it will fit heads of varying size as the article is constructed of a flexible and insulating fabric such that little of the patient's head area is exposed when wearing the article. The lower edge of the fabric may be folded upwards in cases where the article is too long when worn in the typical fashion, thus preventing the article from obscuring the patient's face, eyes, or ears, but may also be worn over the forehead, ears, and face in cases where maximum insulation of the patient is necessary. 

1) A head covering garment comprising a single piece of flexible, insulating material sewn together to form a generally bag shaped article of clothing which is worn about the head of a medical patient functioning to insulate the head of the wearer by preventing latent heat from escaping from the head area covered by the garment. 2) A head covering garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the garment contains a drawstring which is sewn into a tube extending around the circumference of the lower edge of the garment, which may be used to further secure the garment about the head of the user. 